"...Hello."
After appreciating Meng Shang's brief fluster, Jiang Ruoqi considerately introduced herself: "Dr. Meng probably doesn't know me. I'm Ada's friend Jiang Ruoqi. You can call me Seven."
Meng Shang nodded, cleared his throat, and replied in a low voice: "Meng Shang, Su Yansheng's friend."
"I know. I've heard a lot about you. Finally get to meet you in person."
Meng Shang was taken aback, wondering how Su Yansheng could have mentioned him, but his face remained reserved, brows slightly furrowed, with little expression change.
"I'm just a doctor. Not worthy of such high praise."
Meng Shang's tone was flat, distinctly cold and aloof. But Jiang Ruoqi seemed unfazed. She clinked her glass against his. "Dr. Meng is too modest. Healing the sick and saving lives is admirable—no amount of praise is too much. Cheers."
Meng Shang declined again: "Sorry, I don't drink."
Having been refused twice in a row, any other lady at the banquet would have left in displeasure and called Meng Shang ungrateful.
But Jiang Ruoqi didn't. She finished her own glass, placed it and Meng Shang's together on the table, and gave herself an out: "That's fair. A heart surgeon should probably avoid alcohol."
That's not it.
Meng Shang thought to himself. Real surgeons could all drink like fish. He chose to refuse only because he didn't want to get entangled with someone he was destined not to have a future with, all because of a favor.
That was his nature. He didn't like half-hearted attempts, couldn't accept uncertainty. It was better to refuse from the start.
But... the person before him kept smiling. His blatant refusal was unfair to her and didn't align with his usual gentlemanly demeanor.
Meng Shang's heart softened. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jiang Ruoqi's cheeks flushed from the alcohol, her lips moist and wine-stained, making her ordinarily bright appearance softer.
But no one spoke, and the atmosphere grew awkward. Meng Shang felt he shouldn't let her feel embarrassed because of him. So he forced a conversation, unwisely picking up where they'd left off: "Your Mandarin is very good."
Jiang Ruoqi was surprised he'd initiated. She looked up and saw him turn away, but she held back her mischievous teasing for Dr. Meng's sake.
"That's because I'm not from Gangcheng."
"Actually, I'm similar to Su Yansheng. I came here for university and stayed to work after graduation. I've been in Gangcheng for over a decade now. But my language skills aren't great. After all this time, I still can't speak Cantonese, only understand it."
Jiang Ruoqi looked up for confirmation: "Let me ask you, Dr. Meng: has my Mandarin been corrupted by local Cantonese?"
Meng Shang chuckled: "No, it's very standard."
"Good. You don't know how much people try to accommodate me by speaking Cantonese-accented Mandarin. Sometimes it's more confusing than if they just spoke Cantonese."
Perhaps it was the feeling of finding a fellow townsman in a strange land. After a few jokes, Meng Shang visibly relaxed. "So where is your hometown?"
Jiang Ruoqi thought for a moment: "I was born in Jiangsu Province, but due to family reasons, I moved around different cities as a child. Only in high school did I settle in Hangxiang for a while, my self-proclaimed second hometown."
"I'm from Hangxiang." Meng Shang spoke before he could think.
Jiang Ruoqi stared at him, eyebrows raised. "So we're destined. Hangxiang isn't that big, and we're not far apart in age. Maybe we've even met before, Dr. Meng."
Hangxiang was quite large. If they'd really met, that would be an absurd twist of fate.
Meng Shang thought it was just polite small talk and responded casually, "Maybe."
His phone screen flashed with a message from a colleague on duty about a patient. He turned aside to reply, and the silence fell between them again.
But Jiang Ruoqi didn't leave. She stood beside him, her mind wandering. In the quiet, her right thumb pressed against the callus on her middle finger, rubbing the peeling dead skin. The rough texture persisted even after rubbing, just like her restless thoughts. She licked off the remaining wine taste from her lips, searched for the nearest glass, and picked up a red wine glass, swirling it.
She could hold her liquor, even though her face flushed easily.
"People whose faces turn red from drinking are actually allergic to alcohol. Once the amount reaches a certain level, they'll have allergic reactions. And mixing drinks makes you drunk easily."
Meng Shang felt he was talking too much today, but after replying to the message, seeing Jiang Ruoqi's noticeably red cheeks, he couldn't help warning her out of 'hometown' fellowship or professional concern.
"Don't underestimate me. I have a high tolerance."
Jiang Ruoqi argued, pretending not to understand. She brought the glass to Meng Shang, the wine's beautiful color and sweet aroma wafting with her movement.
Forget it.
Meng Shang pursed his lips, saying no more. He chided himself for meddling.
But Jiang Ruoqi had already seen through Dr. Meng's tough exterior and soft heart and didn't plan to let him off easily. "Dr. Meng, where do you work now? Still in Hangxiang?"
"No, I'm in Xinhai."
"In Xinhai... Xinhai is nice."
Jiang Ruoqi's voice was slightly slurred from the alcohol. Her fox-like eyes narrowed with a smile as she pulled out her phone from her purse.
"Our group's subsidiary is in Xinhai. I'll have to go there frequently on business trips next year. Since we're so destined, Dr. Meng, would you mind adding me on WeChat? Maybe I'll have a chance to trouble you sometime."
Forget it. He's usually very busy, can't even get an appointment in his clinic. If she really wants to trouble him, she probably won't be able to find him.
Meng Shang let out a breath. He had prepared his refusal.
But the QR code was right in front of him. He looked up and met Jiang Ruoqi's bright eyes. They were glistening, reflecting both the lights and him, like an expectant little animal.
His words caught in his throat. In the end, he reluctantly agreed, "Okay."
After scanning and adding, Jiang Ruoqi leaned in, overlapping half their body lengths. They both caught a whiff of each other's scent, mingling in the air, invading their breaths. Unexpectedly, it wasn't unpleasant.
"You two are getting along well, huh."
Ada arrived belatedly with Su Yansheng. Ada nodded at Meng Shang and then linked arms with Jiang Ruoqi.
As for Su Yansheng, he was talkative. He knew Meng Shang's reserved nature well. Afraid that if he didn't play host well, his wife's best friend would make trouble for him later, he took the initiative to act as a bridge.
"Shang Ge, this is my wife's best friend, Seven. She went to high school in Hangxiang—same school as us. She was in her first year when we were in our third year. She's practically our junior schoolmate. Small world, huh!"
So Jiang Ruoqi hadn't been shooting in the dark. She had seen him before. Meng Shang realized, his ears inexplicably burning. His gaze towards Jiang Ruoqi deepened.
He tried to recall something, but too many years had passed since he left campus. He couldn't even recognize all his college classmates, let alone a junior from high school.
Jiang Ruoqi also hadn't expected Su Yansheng to spill everything so bluntly. She was stunned for a moment, but quickly resumed her smiling demeanor. "I wasn't lying, Dr. Meng. You might not remember, but at least I've seen you from afar."
"It's not important."
She waved her phone at him and added, "Anyway, we'll definitely meet again."